WMass natives elected to Westfield State University's Athletics Hall of Fame

Aug. 6, 2012

WESTFIELD — Karl Labadorf '00, and Sandy (Pinto) Graham, '98 were among six former greats who will be inducted into the Westfield State University (WSU) Athletics Hall of Fame to kick off the 2012 Alumni Weekend.

The 17th Annual Westfield State University Athletics Hall of Fame inductions will be held Oct. 19. The enshrinement starts at 6 p.m. at Scanlon Banquet Hall and tickets are available by calling 572-5433.

Labadorf is one of three All-Americans in the storied history of the Westfield State men's soccer program. He was third-team All-American in 2000 when he led the Owls to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) championship and a first-round victory in the NCAA Division III national tournament.

The Wilbraham native was All-New England first team in 2000 and All-New England third team in 1997 when the Owls won the MASCAC championship, advanced to the ECAC Tournament championship game, and finished with a 13-4-1 overall record.

The three-time first-team all-conference forward and two-time captain ranks 10th on Westfield's all-time scoring list with 111 points. He scored 42 career goals, including 13 game-winning goals.

Labadorf tallied the only goal in Westfield's 1-0 victory over Worcester State in the 2000 MASCAC Tournament championship game. He scored a season-high 39 points (15 goals, 9 assists) in 2000, including the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory at Roger Williams University in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Westfield finished his senior season with a 15-5 record. The Owls posted four straight winning seasons and an aggregate record of 46-24-2 from 1997-2000.

Labadorf played for the Massachusetts Twisters semi-professional indoor soccer team in 2002 and was an assistant coach at Westfield State for three years following his graduation. He has been employed as a mathematics teacher at Minnechaug High School since 2001 and was the assistant coach for the 2005 Western Massachusetts champion Minnechaug boys' soccer team.

Labadorf resides in Wilbraham with his wife, Stacy, and four daughters: Lindsay, Taylor , and twins Stephanie and Kaitlyn.

Graham '98 is the Westfield State women's soccer program's all-time leading scorer. The Ludlow native holds school records with 116 career points and 51 career goals. She also ranks second in the record books with 16 goals scored in a season.

The highly skilled and fast forward was a four-time all-conference selection and a two-time team captain for the Owls. She was a three-time first-team all-conference honoree and received Westfield's outstanding contributor award in 1997. During her stellar high school career at Ludlow, she was an All-State and All-Western Mass. honoree.

Graham led the Owls to their first ever MASCAC championship during her senior year in 1997. Westfield posted a 15-4 overall record in 1997 and an aggregate record of 45-29-2 during her four years.

Graham is employed as an executive recruiter for United Health Group. She resides in Southwick with husband, Judson, and sons Sam and Max. She remains active in the soccer community through league play, coaching and volunteering.

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